So Far Away
by takai-megami-chan
Summary: The time has come for Kyo to graduate, meaning he will have to go to Akito. Will he be able to tell Yuki his feelings? What if Yuki doesn't love him? KyoYuki
1. Chapter 1

Okay, well my story is slightly OC, because Yuki and Kyo become sort of friends in a couple seconds…oh well.

"Yuki-kun! Kyo-kun! You better hurry or we're going to be late!"

"Calm down, Honda-san! We have plenty of time before Hatori gets here," Yuki smiled at Tohru. She was right to be nervous though; today was graduation day. Tohru was almost always at least a little nervous, so no one was really surprised. Hatori had said Akito was going to be there which made Yuki nervous. But out of them all, Kyo was like a little black cloud. He was happy he was graduating, but this was also the day his and Akito's deal ended and he would be submitted to his will.

"Why the long face, Kyo-kun? Aren't you glad to be graduating?" Shigure smiled.

"Shut up, it's none of your business, idiot." Kyo rolled over and stared at the garden, memorizing every detail of everything he saw, positive it would be his last chance.

"Kyo, Hatori's here." Yuki said, walking up behind the stretched out form of the cat.

"Hn." Kyo stood and gloomily followed him to the car.

"Eh? Yuki-kun, you actually called Kyo by his name and did it without insulting him!" Shigure made an over exaggerated look of shock.

Yuki glanced back at the cloud of impending doom that was Kyo. "I figured he deserved it."

Shigure caught the glance. "Oh…that's right…the deal…"

"What deal? Kyo-kun, are you all right?" Tohru asked, looking worriedly at Kyo.

Kyo shot a glare at her and she shivered. "It's none of your business." He watched her face fall a little bit as she muttered some apology, and for once, he felt no remorse. In his mind, the death march was playing just for him and every step he took brought him closer to the gallows. He didn't want to leave. Over the past few years, he'd found himself a home and he loved it. He loved Tohru and (as much as he hated to admit it) Yuki and Shigure and it killed him to know he probably wouldn't be able to see them again after today.

A quiet squeal of the brakes brought him back to reality and he realized they were at the school. He gulped and slid out of the car.

"Uo-chan! Hana-chan! I'm so excited!" Tohru jumped out of the car and dashed over to her friends. They chattered together as he slid down to sit on the ground.

"Kyo…"

"What?" he snapped.

"Good luck. With the Akito thing." He glanced up into Yuki's face. As he watched, Yuki slid down to sit next to him.

"I know how Akito can be from personal experience, and…well, it's honestly no fun. The thing is, no matter what I've said, I've never actually hated you. And I know it doesn't really mean much right now, but, I…I'd like to…to be your friend."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes! God, I try to be nice to you, you stupid cat, and you're too-"

"No, I guess it's because we've been fighting so long, I had a hard time believing you. So yeah, I guess I would like to be friends, even though today's probably the last time I'll ever see you."

"Yeah…" They sat next to each other in silence. Suddenly, with a sigh, Kyo's head flopped onto Yuki's shoulder.

"Uh, Kyo, I know we're friends and all, but um…"

"Yuki, I…"

"What?"

"Never mind." He sat up straight and they sat quietly again.

"Kyo-"

"Yuki-"

"You go first."

"Well-"

"YUKI-KUN! KYO-KUN! Come on! We have to get ready!" Kyo stood up and walked away, blushing.

"What's got his whiskers in a knot?" Shigure popped up behind Yuki who was staring after the cat.

"Shut up."

"Kyo Sohma!" There were cheers as Kyo stepped onto the stage, grinning sheepishly. After accepting his diploma and walking off stage, he sat down and watched. As soon as Yuki made it off, he stood up and pulled him off to the side.

"Yuki, about what I was going to say earlier…um, I guess, well, I like you a lot. I mean, I don't mean as in love, I'm not ready to say anything like that yet, but…yeah." Kyo looked up from the floor into Yuki's eyes. Yuki was shocked, he had had no idea Kyo felt that way.

"Kyo, I…I never knew…but, I'm sorry. I'm not gay…I like Honda-san and, well, earlier, I was going to tell you that I was going to ask her out after the ceremony…" Kyo's face fell as he looked away, trying not to let Yuki see how badly he was hurt.

"Oh, well, good luck, I hope she says yes for you." He walked away and sat with Haru for the rest of the ceremony and the luncheon afterwards. He avoided Yuki like the plague and barely acknowledged Tohru. Yuki, on the other hand, couldn't keep his eyes off of him, and he didn't know why. He asked Tohru out, and to his pleasure, she said yes.

"So, Kitty-cat, you gonna tell me why you're so sad?" Haru asked, leaning towards the sulking cat.

"No…yes. Would you listen?" Despite his usual bored exterior, he was at least a little surprised at being asked if he would listen, much less coming from Kyo. He nodded and Kyo continued. "Well, it's a long story but I fell in like with Yuki, don't ask me how, but it took me a while to realize it, and when I did, I was scared so I didn't say anything for a while. I told him today and…he turned me down."

"You just have to have hope, which sounds totally cliché, but you do. Yuki knows I love him and I know he doesn't love me but you don't see me moping around." Kyo smiled and thanked him even though it didn't really help, Yuki would never love Haru, and that made it all the worse.

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Short first chapter! Please review, but just to let you know, this story will probably move kind of slow…


	2. Chapter 2

Kyo lay on his back in his empty room, staring at the ceiling.

"Kyo, telephone!" Shigure yelled up the stairs.

"Okay!" He hopped up and trotted downstairs where he took the phone from the dog. "Hello?"

"Kyo, how nice to speak with you." Kyo froze with his mouth open. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to watch you graduate but you can tell me all about it tonight." He gulped. _Akito_.

"W-why are you calling me?" he asked, shaking.

"Is it a crime to want to talk with one's favorite kitty cat? I hope you're ready to leave, Hatori should be there right…about…now." The doorbell rang making Kyo drop the phone. When he picked it up, Akito had hung up.

"Hatori! You're here already! I'll get everyone." Shigure bustled upstairs to get Yuki and Tohru from whatever they were doing. Kyo just slumped on the wall, shaking and breathing heavily. He was scared. Terrified of what Akito would do to him. Someone placed a hand on his shoulder and he spun around with a yelp.

"What's gotten you all shaken up?" Hatori asked. Kyo just shook his head, afraid that if he did try and talk, he'd vomit. Hatori understood and pulled him into a hug. As soon as Kyo felt the warmth emanating from the older doctor, he started to cry.

Yuki stepped around the corner and immediately backpedaled, shooing Tohru and Shigure into the other room. "He's not ready to say goodbye yet." Yuki felt a pang in his heart that was similar to jealousy and protectiveness but that couldn't be right, could it? Yuki loved Tohru. Yes. He did, he loved Tohru with all his heart.

After a while, Hatori led in a red-eyed cat. "We've brought your bags into Hatori-san's car for you, Kyo…" Tohru said, trying to be cheerful. Her lower lip wobbled and she burst out crying. Yuki made a move to comfort her, but Kyo was there first. She wrapped her arms around him and in a poof, Kyo became a cat. She hugged him a little more and set him down so he could transform back and say the rest of his goodbyes. Kyo gave Shigure a hug and slowly, eyes on the ground, he moved over to where Yuki stood awkwardly, waiting.

"Goodbye Kyo." Hatori pulled Tohru and Shigure out of the room, because while Kyo had been crying, he'd sobbed out what happened between him and Yuki.

"Yuki…could...could you kiss me just once? Just so I can think of it when I get really lonely?" Yuki hesitated, but, thinking about his time in Akito's company, he smiled gracefully.

Pulling his cousin's chin up with delicate fingers, the rat kissed the cat, in one of the most conflicted kisses ever. Kyo's heart soared and plummeted at the same time, and he'd take the feel of Yuki's soft pink lips on his to the grave. To Yuki, it was confusing. It felt too wrong, but at the same time, too right. It was also tender and loving and it was the best kiss he'd ever had or would ever have. He also, would carry the feeling of Kyo's rough lips with him forever. It seemed to last lifetimes, this small gesture that really only lasted a few seconds, but it left both teens bright-eyed and breathless.

"Thank you, Yuki." Kyo sniffled and Yuki pulled his cousin into a comforting embrace, letting the orange haired boy cry on his shoulder.

A/N: Thanks so much to loretta537! REVIEWS MAKE ME GET MY REAR IN GEAR! Short chapter though, I know (hey that rhymed!). But the next will be longer…I hope…I'll write fast!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: ACK! So sorry, but I missed three reviewers reviews that got lost in my inbox for a little while! I'm so sorry! But a late thanks to sasukesgirl89, Sikira, and romancereject! Thanks for the reviews! By the way, I'm only on like 11 or 12 in the manga so if what I write is like blatantly the opposite of what's in the manga, don't kill me, I'm sorry! I'm sorry if I've missed any reviewers (and I know I have) but my inbox is a black hole of doom! I love you all though!

Months passed at Shigure's house. Yuki and Tohru were getting serious and life seemed to be returning to normal- well, as normal as it would ever be with out the hot-tempered cat around. They had only heard once from Kyo, in a short, scrawling letter that told them he missed them and wished he could be there with them.

Hatori visited often, usually with Ayame. He rarely brought news of how Kyo was doing because Akito would neither allow him to see Kyo or tell him anything.

No one talked much about those first few days when Tohru did nothing but cry and even Shigure joked less than usual. None of them had realized just how big a part of their life Kyo had become.

Life went on and for a year, nothing happened. Yuki and Tohru became almost inseparable and Ayame began visiting almost every day. One afternoon, though, there came a knock on the door.

"I wonder who that could be…"

"It's probably someone selling something. I'll get it." Yuki stood up from his seat next to Tohru. He wandered over to the door and pulled it open just enough to see who was standing on the porch. His eyes widened and he threw the door open the rest of the way.

"Um…hey," Kyo stood on the porch, blushing lightly. Overall he hadn't changed much, although he was taller and his hair was shaggier. For a moment, Yuki could do nothing but stand and stare at the unexpected visitor.

"Y-you…" Kyo smirked slightly and raised an eyebrow, just barely able to keep a somewhat strained look of utter relaxation. Yuki broke down. He snatched the surprised red-head up in a huge hug. It took him a moment to notice that Kyo was quivering unsteadily, as though he was unsure of whether or not to return the gesture. Yuki released him and took a step back, blushing.

"Yuki? Who's there…oh my God!" Suddenly, there was a shrill shriek and a blur of what can only be assumed as Tohru as she flung herself at Kyo with such force that he was pushed back a step. Gently, he hugged her back and stepped away to smile at her warmly. Tohru had tears streaming down her face as she tried to compose herself. "Wh-wh-why are you h-(sniff) here?" she stuttered.

"Um…is Shigure here? I need to tell this to all of you…" Kyo looked slightly anxious.

"Ah! Y-yes, he's in his office with Ayame-san (1). I'll go and get them!" Tohru hurried off. Yuki felt the awkwardness descend like a cloud. Being alone with Kyo after a year apart was strange, and there was something different that he just couldn't put his finger on. He desperately tried to look anywhere but at Kyo as he tried to think of what to say.

"Yuki…" Yuki's head snapped up. Kyo looked completely different than he had when Yuki first opened the door. He looked tired, scared, relieved, and nervous instead of slightly surprised and relaxed. "I missed you. I know there's nothing I can say to change your mind but…I love you…When Akito got really bad, and I just wanted to die, it was just so…I just…I just thought of you and I thought, 'If I make it through this, someday, I know I'll be able to see him again' and I wasn't so afraid. I had a dream once where you were lying right there next to me and I was…it felt right…" The more Kyo spoke, the happier, and more excited he looked, like even just telling Yuki how much he had been helped by just thinking about him made Kyo the happiest guy alive.

"Kyo…" Yuki must have had a pained expression on his face, because, Kyo's smile faded and his shining eyes dimmed a little. Yuki felt a pull at his heart and he was about to reach out to the red head and wrap him in another embrace when Shigure and Ayame appeared, led by Tohru.

"KYON-KICHI!" And with that, the moment was ruined. Ayame, with silk robe billowing, rushed past Yuki and squeezed the cat so hard it looked like he couldn't breathe. "Ah, it's so nice to see you! It's been a whole year!" Ayame stepped back.

"Welcome back, Kyo! It's a wonderful surprise!" Shigure said. "But…I thought Akito wouldn't let you go anywhere?"

"Is it alright if I tell you inside? I'm a little tired…"

"Ah, of course, I'm so sorry! Come in!" Tohru hurried the group inside and they all sat down together in the sitting room.

Once they were all seated, Kyo began. "Um, you're probably wondering why I'm here and how I got here. See…well, Yuki, I don't know if you noticed this, but, when Tohru um…hugged me, I didn't transform."

"That's right! I thought something was strange." Kyo nodded.

"Uh, yeah…it's not just me. Tohru, could…could you hug Y-someone, please?" Tohru nodded and turned to Yuki. She wrapped her arms around him tentatively, but nothing happened. Bewildered, she hugged Shigure, Ayame, and Kyo in turn, but nothing happened.

"But, why?"

"Um…Akito…Akito's dead. He got too sick and then when Hatori told him he had to rest a while, that he couldn't go anywhere for a few days, he got really mad and…he attacked Hatori." In response to Shigure and Ayame's panicked expressions, he said, "Hatori is fine. But…Akito ran off and we…we didn't find him until the next day." When Kyo finished, a heavy silence weighed on everyone. No one was sure whether they should be happy at Akito's passing and the curse's end or sad that a member of their family-albeit a rather unpopular one- was dead.

"So…Kyo-kun…does this mean…that you can come home?"

"Hatori didn't want me to leave yet…so I had to sneak out. I wanted you all to know…but I'd be happy to come back…if that's alright…" Yuki was astonished. He had never seen Kyo so polite and reserved. It was as if he was constantly holding something back.

"Of course you're allowed to stay here again! In fact, dinner's almost ready, so we can call Hatori over and we can discuss the details then." Shigure beamed at Kyo.

"Thank you. Would it be alright if I used the shower? Akito wouldn't let me take one very often…"

"Of course you may! I'll go get you a towel." Tohru bustled off with Kyo trailing behind.

Yuki's mind was spinning. Akito was dead…the curse broken…Kyo…Kyo was back…no…Kyo was _home_. Yes, this was Kyo's home. But…what would happen now? He couldn't avoid the niggling feeling that something big -well bigger- was about to change the path their lives had taken.

"Yuki, could you change the sheets in Kyo-kun's room? They must be dusty after all this time…Yuki?" Yuki snapped out of his thoughts, looking up at Tohru. Standing, he slipped the clean sheets from her arms and pecked her on the cheek as he passed.

"Of course, Tohru," Slowly, he padded up the stairs to Kyo's old room. Even though he knew it was silly to even entertain the notion, he wondered if the room behind that door had changed at all since Kyo left. After all, no one had bothered to open it since then. Not Shigure, to reclaim the space for his books. Not Tohru to clean or dust. Not Yuki to dig up the memories of the fiery boy. And not Kyo, who had just set foot in the house for the first time in a year; no, not even he had felt the urge to peer in at his old home. Holding a tentative breath, he slid the door open, revealing…nothing. Well, not 'nothing', per se, just, nothing had changed. The dust was thicker and there was a slightly stale smell to the air, but there had been no obvious change to the dim room.

He stepped into the room, allowing memories to float around him, much like the dust particles that were illuminated by the mid-afternoon sun shining happily through the window. He supposed he'd been afraid of what emotions these memories would make him feel but they were just that. Memories, forgotten and floating, piling up, ready to swoop through his head like dust, not at all bad unless, of course you happened to be allergic. He set the sheets on the bedside table and began to unmake the bed, setting the dusty sheets in a pile at the foot of the bed. He re-made the bed and stood there, not quite ready to leave, before flopping onto the bed with a sigh. He stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours but must only have been minutes before he realized that there was nothing to reflect the sunlight off of and make the shining pattern on the ceiling that had so captivated him. Jumping up, he searched the room in the direction it seemed to have come from. He dropped to his knees, seeing something glinting, jutting out from under the mattress. He studied the object and gasped.

It was a picture that Shigure had taken of Kyo and himself at the Sohma summer house down by the beach. Tohru was out in the water with Momiji while they sat and watched. It was a fantastic picture; the setting sun glinted just right off of the water to bring out thousands of colors. He and Kyo were sitting side by side, backs to the camera, with their faces hidden but their posture saying thousands of things. Kyo's suggested that he wanted to move towards the rat a little more, but wouldn't. Yuki looked torn between standing up and wading into the water to be with Tohru and staying where he was, maybe even moving closer to the red-head. He stared intently at the picture, marveling at how precisely this small piece of paper mimicked his present situation. He and everyone around him thought he should go with Tohru while Kyo and a certain part of him urged him to stay where he was but move closer to what was right next to him.

"What are you doing?" With a gasp, Yuki spun around, instinctively hiding the photograph behind his back. Kyo stood in the doorway, a towel in his hands; the shoulders of his shirt were darkened with water that had slipped from his wet hair. Yuki found his eyes drawn to a shimmering bead of water that was slipping down his pale neck, watching, transfixed, until it disappeared into his collar.

"Yuki…" gulping for the air that, until a moment ago, so freely filled his lungs, he looked up into Kyo's slightly amused eyes before stumbling backwards to sit on the bed, watching as the cat's eyes changed from happy to somewhat alarmed.

He sat next to him on the bed, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him lightly. "Yuki; are you alright? What's wrong? Look, don't-don't…oh man, I'm sorry I startled you…" Yuki looked up at him, irritated that Kyo thought he was upset. "C'mon, Yuki, stop crying! I'm sorry." Yuki stared, getting lost in thought…Why were Kyo's eyes so big? Are they…are they getting bigger? Suddenly, Yuki realized, they were just getting closer. Their lips met and Yuki sighed, liking the roughness of the cat's dry lips. He felt wetness on his cheeks.

'_When did Kyo start crying? Oh wait…he's not crying…I am.'_ Yuki brought one hand up to cup Kyo's cheek and Kyo held on to Yuki's elbow. Yuki gasped as Kyo dragged his tongue slowly along his bottom lip, sending shivers through his body. Kyo slowly leaned backwards, tugging Yuki down with him. Willingly, Yuki straddled the cat's slim hips, kissing him fervently. Lovely feelings threatened to overwhelm him as the air around them began to heat up, fueling their kindling passions. Suddenly, a part of him, the rational part, realized that he was kissing someone; someone that wasn't Tohru. Specifically: he was kissing Kyo. He was kissing Kyo, Kyo who was a boy and his cousin. This irritatingly rational part of him told him to push away, hit Kyo, do something other than what he was already doing. The rest of him argued that Kyo had started it, a year ago, when they'd graduated.

'_But you love Tohru!' _His rational part argued. '_I think I do…'_ His other side replied. But all the same, he pulled away, standing up and rushing quickly from the room, not stopping until he reached his bedroom. He paused, breathing heavily, before realizing what his contact with Kyo had done to his body. He groaned before sliding down the wall, burying his head in his hands. Something crinkled in his palm and he stared, uncomprehending, at the crumpled photo he had unconsciously taken with him.

_'What am I going to do?'_

Whoa! That was grueling (ha-ha, not really)! It took a lot longer than I would have liked, mainly because my family is…disapproving of these types of things. By the way, the (1) by Ayame-san is there because I wasn't sure what Tohru called him in the manga and I was too lazy to go check.

Big thanks to Rasputina, a fantasmic band that inspired me to get my rear in gear, along with my equally fantasmic reviewers!!! I'll update this and my other stories ASAP, all depending on how much time I get with the computer alone.


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